Nantucket Weddings Unveiled

As we all prepare for Thanksgiving we thought we would put some of our favorite images together that evoke the feeling of the season.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

images by Brea McDonald

stationary by Griffin-vites

flowers by Soiree Floral

images by Brea McDonald

planning by Maine Seasons Events

video by Meg Simone Videography

This Nantucket wedding film blew us away so we HAD to share it here on the blog! We love the way that Meg has woven in all the scenic shots of the island, such an important part of every wedding weekend. The sounds bites, the music and all those amazing moments tell such a strong story it’s hard not to feel like you were there!

CLICK HERE to watch the film.

If you are planning for your September 25th, 2010 weekend wedding we have some news for you! Due to a sudden cancellation Meg is now available for that weekend, the most popular of the year! We’re sure she will be scooped right up so get in touch now to talk to her about your wedding film.

You can check out more of Meg Simone Films on her website http://www.megsimone.com/

People can always find reasons why they don’t need a wedding videographer – and usually the excuse involves a misconception about what working with a videographer is like and what the finished product will be. If you haven’t seen a wedding film in a while now is the time! Don’t skip over this important element when looking at your wedding day vendor list and budget. Check out this recent testimonial caught on the fly by filmmaker Meg Simone. Take it away Meg!

Time is fleeting and tends to slip away and so do the sights and sounds of your wedding day. I would never be without photographs. There is nothing better then cozying up on the couch and flipping through your custom album, but to hear and see moving images of loved ones, to actually hear yourself recite your vows … There is nothing in the world like that feeling of reliving the moment all over again.

If you are on the fence about hiring a wedding filmmaker, there’s no better advice then from a former bride herself. I filmed Kim’s wedding on 8/1/2009 and then she was a bridesmaid 6/19/10. As I was approaching Kim at that wedding I caught her talking about me to bridesmaid Caitlin who is also engaged. This was a very candid conversation she was having and nothing was scripted. It’s good honest advice, and couldn’t be closer to the ideals I share about why capturing your wedding is so important.

Visit Meg’s website to see more of her wedding day work and see what today’s modern filmmaker is like.

The quaint town of Siasconset is a favorite for many island couples.  With its rose covered cottages, wandering crushed shell paths, and little markets – it is a destination in and of itself.  The chapel is a favorite with couple’s looking to say their I do’s, and it books up quickly.  Take a behind the scenes look at real weddings as videographer Meg Simone, Brea McDonald Photography, and Soiree Floral capture the newly minted ‘Mr and Mrs’

Filmmaker Meg Simone knows the ins and outs of whats hot in the wedding videography world. We are so luck to have Meg join us today to share a few trends and shifts in this ever-changing field.  Thanks Meg for sharing your expertise with us!

Did you happen to catch Jennifer Aniston and Jay Mohr in “Picture Perfect” (1997)? Even famous movie stars weren’t painting an inviting picture about having a wedding “videographer”, so how is the general public supposed to feel good about that? Introducing the modern filmmaker.  If you haven’t seen any recent wedding films, you are going to freak out when you watch the one below by Award Winning Wedding Filmmaker, Joe Simon Films. The films being produced today are like mini movies, people literally can’t believe it’s their wedding “video” – well it’s not… it’s your wedding “film!”

Kim + Adam – St. John, Virgin Islands Wedding Film from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.

Film is a loose term, although people like Joe Simon do actually shoot real 8 & 16mm film and use that in conjunction with other footage shot on your day. There are companies out there that specialize in true film  Artifact Documentaries out of NY being one close by.

LESS is MORE. You will notice from Joe’s short film that the entire day is wrapped up into a masterfully crafted highlight film, with all the key moments, excitement, and aspects you want to take away from your day. What a lot of us in the industry are doing is producing mini short films or documentaries that can range from 3 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on style.  Some filmmakers may include a 2nd DVD so that what is not used in those tightly knit pieces you are getting as full separate tracks. You most likely will want your full ceremony so if 5 minutes are used in the highlight film, you will sill be able to watch it in full as a separate track. All filmmakers have different options, packages, and ways of doing things, so check with yours before you book to know what you are getting.

In this 2009 film for Shannon and Ray, you can see coverage of their day is used in conjunction with the spoken word, toasts, and in the moment interviews to create a modern, fun, engaging film reliving their day. They can however, at their leisure (and not at the expense of their dinner guests at a party to show off their  “wedding film”) watch the full ceremony, full introductions, full first dance, toasts, parent dances on their DVD at any time.

Stay tuned for more modern wedding filmmaker trends you should be aware of!

Today we give you a look at some of the vendors who go behind the scenes to pull a photo shoot together.  This crew designed the beautiful sorbet shoot in Wellwed Spring/Summer 2010 we have been featuring this week.

photo by Zofia Photography

Vendors (clockwise from top) – Dawn Kelly of Soiree Floral, Jen Shepherd of Placesetters, Zofia of Zofia Photography, Lisa Frey of Nantucket Event Media, Kim Reed of A Taste of Nantucket, and Jodi Levesque of Jodi’s Cakes.

Meg Simone joins us today to share some fantastic tips on hiring your filmmaker for your wedding day. Thanks Meg for sharing your expertise!

When you are going to interview a filmmaker or inquire about booking, be sure you have seen a few samples of their work online. Ideally you would be calling them because you like the footage you saw, and the quality. However, here are a few things you may want to talk to your filmmaker about before making the final decision:

1)      Will they be shooting in Standard Definition or High Definition? Some people do still shoot in Standard definition and have not upgraded to better quality cameras. You may not notice this when watching clips on their site. ASK. You need to know up front what you are getting. It will still be great quality footage, and if you don’t have an HD TV you may not notice the difference. However, thinking forward, you are going to want your video shot in the best format possible for archival purposes down the road. Right now if you do not have a Blu-ray DVD player but you do have an HD TV, there are still a few easy and affordable (actually cheaper then Blu-ray) options to watch your wedding in HD.

2)      Wireless microphones and off camera back up audio.  If the person filming your wedding is not using either of these, you may be missing a HUGE piece of your story and your day. Audio is equally important as video. Professionals will pick up a whisper of a vow, where having your cousin run a home camcorder from the fourth row back is probably not going to get the job done.

3)      Is the company or individual you are hiring the person who will actually be there shooting? This can be a disappointment the day of your wedding if you are not informed up front if the studio/company/etc is sending an associate. Be sure to know in advance so everyone is on the same page. There are a lot of great companies in the New England area with multiple shooters, and they are all wonderful to work with, just know up front who that person will be.

4)      It’s ok to ask a lot of questions, but at the end of the day you are hiring a professional filmmaker because you genuinely like their work and style and have trust in their abilities. If you try to micro manage the film aspect of your wedding, the filmmaker will be more focused on getting your list of specific shots and may miss key moments that in the end, would have meant a lot more to you. Educate your filmmaker on what’s important to you but don’t overwhelm them with so many details that they can’t do their job.

5)      Turn around time. If you can’t get in writing or on your contract a confirmation that your wedding will be done in 6 months or less, you better find out what else that filmmaker has going on. Backlog is a huge issue with a lot of visual artists, but after filming your wedding it’s so important that they start working on your project right away so that they can remember and recall the vibe, the feelings, the emotion of your day. The more time that goes by the more of that feeling may escape the memory of the person working on your film.

Thanks Meg for sharing your tips! You can see more of Meg’s work on her website or play the short preview clip below. She creates these clips for her clients…I thought it was super clever and fun to get a coming attractions style peek of whats to come for your wedding film!! Love that!

There are some great wedding blogs out there and we have our list of those to check on a daily basis, sometimes more!  Style Me Pretty is one of those daily blogs not to be missed. It’s filled with inspiring content, impeccable style and topnotch photography. Often you will find us sharing content we find from SMP here on our blog. SO… you can imagine how ecstatic we were when we were asked to create a shoot for Style Me Pretty’s blog! We received an inspiration board from the readers of SMP and the team went into action. So this week we will share the final results from the shoot and talk about the design and all the amazing details that went into it.  To start it off we thought a great film from the shoot was in order. Meg Simone is the talented New England videographer behind today’s post. She shared some thought on how she approached the shooting of the design.

“I captured the shoot with 100% natural light from the barn. I knew going into the shoot this would probably be one of the most elaborate table settings I’ve ever filmed so I wanted to try to make sure I captured the textures and layers of elements in the design, but not overwhelm the senses by making each shot so encompassing that you don’t fully see the beauty in each design element. I tried to use depth of field to bring out elements of each piece and then alternate those close up shots with wide angles so you could see how it related to the overall setting.”

There is so much more to come from this shoot so stay tuned this week! And a big welcome to Meg for joining us here at Nantucket Weddings Unveiled!!